A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The following notice applies to the screen layouts, and data as described below and in the drawings hereto: Copyright(copyright) 2002, Garmin Corporation., All Rights Reserved.
The present invention relates generally to cockpit instrument panel systems and methods of presenting cockpit instrument data. In particular, the present invention is directed to integrating cockpit controls and cockpit control data.
Modem commercial/private aircraft, as well as older aircraft, include a myriad of instrumentation panels having controls and displays used to present information related to the controls. The controls and the displays are operated, viewed, and interpreted by a pilot during flight of an aircraft. Some of these controls are used for assisting the pilot with navigation, such as a horizontal situation indicator, an attitude indicator, and the like. Other controls are used to permit radio communication with other pilots in the air or with air traffic controllers during flight. Still more controls, in recent years, are used to assist in navigation using Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) systems associated with satellite technology. Furthermore, transponder controls permit the aircraft to be uniquely identified and the aircraft""s altitude communicated to air traffic controllers during flight.
For a neophyte, the quantity of controls and display panels contained within the cockpit of an aircraft is daunting. Even experienced pilots must stay focused in order to access various controls within the cockpit and interpret information presented on various displays throughout the cockpit. As a result, pilots must continually scan a plurality of available displays for flight information at any particular moment in time during flight.
In recent years, flight management systems (FMS) have emerged, wherein some controls within the cockpit have been centralized into a single location within the cockpit, usually located next to the seat of the pilot. With a FMS, the pilot can tune various controls associated with displays located throughout the cockpit. Yet, the pilot is still forced to access controls which are physically separated from the displays and multiple displays still exist within the cockpit. Additionally, the pilot often cannot visualize both the controls and the displays at the same time.
Multifunction displays (MFDs) have been developed wherein a single display screen presents control data associated with a select few controls within the cockpit. However, the controls are not integrated into the bezel which surrounds the MFDs, nor are the controls in close proximity to the MFDs. Moreover, the MFDs are limited to presenting data related to only a few select controls within the cockpit. Correspondingly, the pilot still must manage a myriad of displays and controls located at various locations throughout the cockpit.
As is apparent to those skilled in the art, a pilot and copilot must remain alert and focused on controls and displays at critical points during the flight, such as takeoffs, landings, inclement weather, emergencies, or equipment malfunctions. Thus, pilots are required to have many hours of training to master the controls and displays within the cockpit before receiving the proper certification to fly an aircraft. This is especially true with larger commercial aircrafts. Moreover as a result of the heightened mental acuity required during flight, many federal regulations also restrict the amount of time a pilot is permitted to fly in any given day in order to ensure the pilot remains alert during flight.
Therefore, there exists a need for a better integrated instrument panel system within the cockpit, which permits the pilot to more rapidly acquire vital information and to manage the controls related to that information from central locations. Moreover, there exists a need for better presentation of cockpit data to a pilot during flight.
The above mentioned problems related to existing instrument panel systems and existing presentations of cockpit data are addressed by the present invention and will be understood by reading and studying the following specification. Systems and methods are provided for cockpit instrument panels and cockpit data presentation which are more efficient and accurate than current cockpit instrument panels and cockpit data presentations. The systems and methods of the present invention offer improved cockpit instrument panels which provide a more efficient access to the controls within a cockpit to the pilot. Furthermore, the present invention offers a more integrated and usable presentation of control data related to the controls to a pilot within the cockpit during flight.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a cockpit instrument panel, is provided having a display, a bezel enclosing the display and having affixed thereon a navigational input control, a communication input control, and a transponder input control. Moreover, the display simultaneously presents navigational data, communication data, and transponder data associated with the controls.
In still another embodiment of the present invention, a cockpit instrument panel system is provided including a first bezel having one or more controls affixed to the first bezel. The first bezel surrounds a first display and the first display presents control data associated with the controls. Further, the system includes a second bezel having one or more additional controls affixed to the second bezel. The second bezel surrounds a second display, and the second display presents control data associated with the additional controls. Also, the system has an audio control panel having one or more audio controls situated between the first and second bezels and operable to provide audio capabilities.